Photovoltaics refers to a technology for converting solar radiation or other forms of light into electricity. The electricity generated through photovoltaics may be used for various different purposes, such as, for example, to power electrical devices or systems, provide electricity to an electrical grid, or recharge batteries or otherwise store power. Photovoltaics may offer various potential advantages depending on the implementation. For one thing, photovoltaics is generally able to provide a relatively sustainable and/or renewable supply of energy. Additionally, photovoltaics generally tends to produce low to no pollution during use. Furthermore, photovoltaics may be used to provide electricity (e.g., to an electrical device, battery, etc.) in environments where such electricity is not otherwise necessarily readily available (e.g., mobile devices, remote locations). Additionally, photovoltaics are often able to provide a lightweight power source.
Photovoltaic cells or photovoltaic devices generally represent devices that are able to convert the solar radiation or other forms of light into electricity based on the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic cells are sometimes referred to in the arts as solar cells. The photovoltaic cells arc commonly made from various different types of semiconductor materials. Some photovoltaic cells are made from silicon based materials. Other photovoltaic cells are made from group III-V compound semiconductor based materials. Still other photovoltaic cells are made from various other types of materials. Different materials are commonly used for different reasons. For example, the silicon based materials generally offer the advantages of lower cost and/or a wider and more extensively developed set of fabrication technologies. Group III-V compound semiconductor based materials generally tend to be more costly, but often offer greater photovoltaic efficiencies.
In some applications, small and thin photovoltaic cells may offer advantages. Representatively, the small photovoltaic cells may have lateral dimensions on the order of several millimeters or less, and thicknesses on the order of several hundred micrometers or less. Such small and thin photovoltaic cells may be formed from reduced amounts of materials, which tends to decrease their manufacturing costs. Additionally, such small and thin photovoltaic cells may tend to have higher efficiencies, for example, due to reduced likelihood that they contain performance limiting features (e.g., point defects).
However, one challenge encountered when manufacturing such small and thin photovoltaic cells is that it tends to be more difficult to handle them and/or assemble them into photovoltaic modules, electronic devices, or other assemblies. Similar challenges present themselves when manufacturing other types of small and thin semiconductor devices.